Cure My Ill
by InkyCoffee
Summary: "...and who should step out of the second truck but Dr. Josh Davidson, her Dad's girlfriend's - excuse me, fiancée, she reminded herself bitterly, not that her Dad cared enough to tell her that - obnoxious ex-boyfriend." Josh/Alexis pairing in Costa Rica in the S5/S6 hiatus. Chapters 4 & 5 will be M!rated. Yes, you read all of that correctly. NOW COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Prompt: What if Alexis had met Josh on a Doctor's Without Borders mission while she was in Costa Rica in the S5/S6 hiatus?**

 **A/N: Based on an old crack fic prompt for "the most awkward family thanksgiving ever", Brain (who has a mind of its own) suddenly decided I needed to write how these two would have met down in the jungle, only as a serious fic. Brain is also trying to talk me into actually writing the sequel in which said thanksgiving dinner would eventually occur, but that all depends on whether anyone even reads this one. This fic is a Josh/Alexis pairing. If you don't like the idea, there are something like 22.7k other Castle fics on this site that you can read. Chapters 1-3 will be rated T, chapters 4 & 5 will be M. Updates will be every 3 days so that Ch 4 will coincide with next weekend's Pornado. Cover art by the incredibly talented and wonderful ABettis41319. **

**This fic would never have been written without my wonderful beta and cheersquad team of Lindsey, Katherine, and Anja. I love you girls more than you know. Thanks for putting up with me.  
**

 **Castle belongs to AWM/ABC.**

* * *

 _Doctor Doctor, gimme the news_

 _I got a bad case of lovin' you_

 _No pill's gonna cure my ill_

 _I got a bad case of lovin' you_

 _-Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor), Robert Palmer, 1979_

* * *

In hindsight, she should have seen it coming.

She had known from the very beginning that the first week of their trip, they would be camping close to civilization, but in the second week they would be meeting up with a Doctors Without Borders team and going in deeper, camping on the outskirts of a friendly but remote village. Professor Rankowski had a friend on the DWB team and it had all arranged itself beautifully.

But still, Alexis felt like she ought to have known.

The first week was amazing. Meeting the team of scientists, researchers, and environmentalists was a dream come true. Of the 30 total people, only half a dozen were students, and the rest were professionals. They were from all around the world, and a real sense of camaraderie had already sprung up in the camp, in spite of the differences in ages and backgrounds and cultures. Camping in the jungle, too, had been the experience of a lifetime, and Alexis was excited about the rest of her trip.

Also, there was a boy. Technically a few years older, and belonging to the contingent from the Netherlands ("Although my Mom was from Iowa!"), he was a curly headed research assistant who was brilliant at his work… although maybe not so brilliant in other areas. But something about the way he seemed so lost when he wasn't directly working on their research, and the way his eyes followed her with dog-like devotion after she brought him a sandwich on the second day when he forgot his own lunch, made her feel special. Like she was making a difference, not only to the rain forest, but in someone else's life. She felt important, and adored, and it was really rather nice.

All of that flew out of her mind the moment, on the first morning of their second week, they rendezvoused with the Doctors Without Borders team - and who should step out of the second truck but Dr. Josh Davidson, her Dad's girlfriend's - _excuse me, fiancée_ , she reminded herself bitterly, not that her Dad cared enough to tell _her_ that - obnoxious ex-boyfriend. She had only met him once, of course - on that horrible day in the hospital corridor, when Beckett had been shot and he had come to blame it all on her Dad. Like it was his fault. Like he hadn't tried to dive in front of the bullet, to save her.

Like he didn't remember he had a daughter who had no one else in this world. Well, there was Gram, of course, but… that was different.

Wow, okay. She thought she had worked through those issues but apparently, between her Dad not telling her about his engagement and seeing… what did Dad used to call him? Doctor Motorcycle Boy? ...again was enough to reopen old wounds. Maybe she really did need therapy. After Paris, it probably wasn't a dumb idea. She decided to look into it when she got back to the city.

Dr. Davidson was looking at her like he couldn't quite place her, and she shuffled uncomfortably under his gaze. Professor Rankowski was talking to his buddy, the leader of the DWB team, and then began directing their party into the trucks.

As luck would have it, Alexis was assigned to the second truck, Pi following behind her like an eager puppy.

Dr. Davidson, tall and handsome, smiled at her as she approached and held out his hand for her pack so he could load it with the rest of their gear.

"I know I know you, but I can't place where from," he said, gazing down at her with friendly brown eyes.

Alexis found herself tongue tied, but just then Professor Rankowski approached. "Ah, yes, Dr. Davidson. This is one of my prize students from Columbia University, another New Yorker like yourself. Alexis Castle, Dr. Josh Davidson."

Dr. Davidson's eyebrows shot up at the name, and he scanned her face again. "Castle? As in…"

Alexis snapped, and went on the offensive. "As in Richard Castle, yes. We met once before. The day Kate was shot. In the hospital," she reminded him, and was satisfied when color tinged his cheeks at the reminder of that day. Still, he gallantly held his hand out to help her into the back of the truck.

She ignored it, scrambling in on her own.

Pi followed, completely unaware of the tension because he had spotted a particular type of native butterfly and was chattering on about it. Alexis settled herself onto the hard bench seat and tried to pay attention to him, but a moment later Dr. Davidson climbed up and of course wound up sitting directly across from her.

The trucks started and the small convoy moved off. It was some time before Pi's chatter ceased, and for the first time this trip Alexis found herself grateful for his silence; up until now she had hung on his every word, but she was too aware of the hulking form of the doctor sitting across from her. She knew he was looking at her, and she was trying her darndest not to shuffle uncomfortably every time his eyes turned in her direction.

She found herself wishing she was wearing makeup. Nicer clothes. Something.

She knew Kate was always poised and put-together, that Dr. Davidson had never seen Kate wearing an open cotton flannel-patterned shirt over a grey tank top and shorts. Kate would never have worn the comfortable, functional sneakers for him. Kate would never have let him see her after a week of camping in the jungle.

Alexis drew herself up short. What did it matter what she looked like? Did she really care what the doctor thought of her? If anything, he saw her as a child, after all. She was his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend's daughter. Nothing more.

As if reading her thoughts, Dr. Davidson spoke. "How is Kate, anyway? Did she and your dad ever get together?" The end of this sentence had a bitter quality about it, and Alexis couldn't help tilting her chin up, enjoying his discomfort.

"She's doing great. They're engaged, actually," she said, and grinned as his eyes dropped away from hers.

He nodded, his jaw working, and lapsed into silence again.

She felt as though she should be feeling triumphant, but something about the way his broad shoulders slumped made her feel ashamed instead.

Here was another person hurt by her father and Kate.

Alexis leaned back in her seat, willing their interminable journey to be over.

The village was small and packed and so grateful to have newcomers, and they were given a riotous welcome. The DWB team set their clinic up right away, and Professor Rankowski directed their team to set up camp in a clearing on the edge of the village. Alexis pitched in with enthusiasm, and was more than happy to retire early, her emotions still in a jumble.

Yet sleep was a long time coming, and when it did eventually claim her, it was restless. She found herself gripped by a nightmare again, something that hadn't occured yet this trip, something dark and sinister, of Paris and being stolen away. Only this time it wasn't her Dad who was racing to save her, but a tall, broad, handsome man whose eyes turned from kindly to disappointed when she told him she was Rick Castle's daughter, and he turned away, leaving her to her captors.

She woke with a scream still lodged in her throat and scrambled out of her tent into the cool, thick night air.

Their tents were arranged around a central campfire, used for cooking their meals, and overlooked the river that the village used for their water supply, as well as for bathing. She paused to slip her sneakers on. Wandering off in the middle of the night wasn't exactly encouraged, and she knew better than to go too far, but she had so much excess energy from her nightmare that she needed… something.

She wandered along a clear-cut trail along the river's edge. Not far - if something happened and she screamed, someone from her team should wake - but far enough that she didn't feel like she needed to hold her breath in case of waking the lighter sleepers in their group. Up ahead, overlooking the river, was a convenient looking boulder, just the right height for staring moodily out across the water in the middle of the night. A couple of trees stood nearby, and suddenly, one of them parted from the rest.

It wasn't a tree, it was a man.

As in all her nightmares, Alexis's mouth opened to scream but no sound came out. She stood still, terrified, as the enormous figure loomed closer.

"Alexis? Are you okay? Why are you awake? It's after midnight," Dr. Davidson asked, stepping closer so that his form melted from a menacing, unknown threat into something familiar and real. His dark eyes were filled with concern, his jaw chiselled, and her momentary terror melted away, leaving her feeling… safe. Somehow, she knew that with Josh Davidson here, no monsters would get her tonight.

"I… I couldn't sleep," she stammered, suddenly shy.

"Neither could I. It's always so intense arriving in a new village. Some of these people haven't ever seen a medical professional in their lives, and they travel for miles when they hear we're coming. We only deal to the really urgent cases the first night, though. But something about it leaves me… energized, I guess. So I didn't want to go to bed right away," he said. She found herself falling into step beside him, wandering back up to the boulder and the tree beside it, listening to the way he spoke with so much passion, and something in her heart thawed.

She couldn't hate him.

She wanted to. She knew how much misery he had caused her Dad, both by dating Beckett and by blaming him for reopening Beckett's mom's case - a charge Alexis knew had haunted her father over the summer after the shooting. She wanted to hate him simply for being Beckett's ex, out of loyalty to his father's girlfriend. Fiancée. Whatever.

"Do you mind me being here?" she asked quietly, settling herself down on the boulder. With the village and the camp lost in the trees behind them, and the gap in the forest canopy above them thanks to the wide but shallow river running past beneath their feet, their view of the stars from this vantage point was breathtaking, made even more so by the complete lack of light pollution and the fact that the moon had yet to rise.

"No. Do you mind me being here?" he asked in return, and she shook her head. "Good. I'm glad. I know… I know I didn't make a good impression that day in the hospital."

She heaved a sigh. "It was a dark day. It was a dark time. I know my behavior wasn't much better, considering."

He perched next to her and bumped her shoulder with his. "You were a kid, and you were scared, and some big oaf came in and started yelling at your father. Not my finest hour, I admit."

"You were worried about Kate. We all were," she replied simply. "I held the shooting against Kate for months afterward."

He looked at her. "Against Kate? Why? She was the victim."

Alexis felt her cheeks flush. "I know. But Dad dived for her, tried to get between her and the bullet, and, well… It's selfish and childish but I didn't want to lose my dad. He and Gram are all the family I've got, really."

"And Kate now, too, right? She's going to be your stepmother, after all," he reminded her.

"Yeah," she said, without any trace of enthusiasm.

"You're not happy?" he prompted.

"Well, of course I am. I like Kate. I've always looked up to her. She's the only person I think Dad's ever been with who was really real, you know? They're… I'm sorry, this probably isn't the nicest thing to say, to you, at least, but, well… they're right for each other. They really compliment each other and make each other stronger. I'm really, genuinely happy for them." She lapsed into silence.

"What's wrong, then? Because you really don't sound happy," he prompted after a moment.

"It's stupid. It doesn't matter," she muttered, feeling more and more like a spoiled child next to this grown man.

He nudged her. "Sure it does. It matters to you, clearly, so it matters. What's going on?"

She heaved a sigh, and relented. "So Dad and I have always been super close, right? Mom left when I was really little and I don't really remember her living with us. Not really. And Dad remarried for a while when I was a kid, but Gina and I were never close either and to be honest it was a bit of a relief when they broke up. But my Dad has always been my best friend and we've always told each other… well, not everything, but all the important things."

She glanced up at him, his face half in shadow, and saw him nodding. "He sounds like a regular super hero," he said dryly.

"He was. To me, at least. And I am happy that he and Kate are together, and getting married, but… but he didn't tell me. He never once mentioned that he was proposing, or asked my opinion or permission, like he did when he married Gina. He just asked her. And even then, he didn't tell me. Gram mentioned it, casually, in a phone conversation, like I already knew, but Dad hasn't said a word about it. It's like it doesn't even matter, like getting a new stepmother isn't going to affect me at all," she finished, and was horrified to find she could no longer hold back her tears. They spilled down her cheeks, mute witness to her pain.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into the darkness. "That's really rough, and you don't deserve it."

"I know Dad has his faults," she said, brushing her tears away roughly. "I know you don't like him. But he's not normally thoughtless. Not about people he cares about. And up until now I've always come first with him, and now… now I'm not sure that I do. And after Paris, I just… I don't know what to do with it."

"Paris?"

"Oh… never mind." She found herself coloring again.

"Alexis, I'm not going to tell anyone, and… frankly, it sounds like you need to talk. I'm not a psychiatrist but I am a doctor and I do know a thing or two. Now, if you don't want to, that's fine, but if you need me, I'm here," he said gently.

Alexis hesitated only a moment, then almost without her permission, words began to spill out of her. The whole saga of her experience in Paris, how scared she was, even the bits about her grandfather that technically she was never meant to tell anyone ever, the whole story came tumbling out.

"That's why I wanted to do this trip. Because I'm still terrified every day that I'm going to wake up back in that room, or in that cage, or that someone else will come and take me away. I've been having nightmares. That's why I came out tonight, actually. I was asleep, but then the dreams came, and I had to get away." She ducked her head, a little afraid of his reaction, but his next words warmed her heart and brought her gaze back up to meet his.

"I think you are an incredibly brave and strong person," Dr. Davidson replied slowly. "Thank you for telling me. I promise it won't go any further."

"I trust you," she replied, looking up at him, and he smiled down at her - and her stomach did a flip-flop. Oh, God, she was developing a crush on him.

"Thank you," he said, sounding genuinely touched. "Now, it's getting late. Do you think you'll be able to sleep now?"

She nodded. "Talking about it helped more than I can say. I don't like telling Dad about the nightmares. I don't like to worry him. So I really appreciate it, Dr. Davidson."

"Alexis, call me Josh, please. You make me sound ancient."

She giggled. "Okay. Thank you, Josh."

"You're welcome. And I'm sure your father doesn't mind you worrying him - he would probably prefer it. But enough of that for now. Come on, Alexis. I'll walk you back," he said, standing, and together they made their way back to camp.


	2. Chapter 2

In spite of his late night the night before, Dr. Josh Davidson worked enthusiastically the following day, seeing patient after patient, giving advice and care, and in the afternoon he performed the first in a series of surgeries in their makeshift hospital in the village. To his colleagues, he seemed tireless, but Josh himself knew that he was, in fact, exhausted and distracted, and was simply pushing himself to keep going so that his mind didn't dwell on things that it shouldn't be dwelling on.

Such as the image of a beautiful redhead spilling her secrets as the moon rose over the rain forest that seemed determined to haunt him.

She was a child, he reminded himself. Compared to him, anyway. Okay, so she was an adult - most college students were at least 18, right? And she couldn't be younger than that or she wouldn't have been able to come on this trip. So at least it wasn't illegal or anything.

Not that he was thinking about her like that.

Because she was his ex-girlfriend's future stepdaughter. And that was just wrong. He didn't want to make their family drama more awkward. Alexis was a sweet girl, and he wanted to do right by her. And that meant thinking of her in a purely platonic, avuncular, doctorly kind of a way. He had asked her to trust him, as a doctor, and she had, and he took that trust very seriously.

It was wrong, and that was the end of the matter.

Yet his mind kept wandering back to the brilliant blue of her eyes, the way her hair shone even in the starlight, her slim waist and full breasts creating such an enticing silhouette as she shyly agreed to use his given name, peeking up at him from beneath her lashes.

He was going to hell. The special hell.

Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

And so he did what he always did when faced with a personal problem: he buried himself in his work, which, thankfully, he genuinely loved and found really absorbing. There were literally hundreds of patients to see, and by the end of the day, he was exhausted. One of the nurses, Anna, a cute, curvy brunette whom he suspected was more than a little interested in him brought him dinner shortly after the clinic closed, and he thanked her - but could not muster up any deeper feeling, even as she smiled at him hopefully. Once he had finished eating, he excused himself, and headed out to wander - the first real break he had allowed himself that day.

Cutting through the village, he nodded politely to the villagers who all greeted him as he passed. He wandered past the camp, noticing that the scientists were all relaxing after a day of hiking through the forest. Some were still working, writing up notes or consulting computers or textbooks. More were lounging around chatting. One group of younger students were playing with a hacky sack, with much laughter and more than a few village children who were full of curiosity about these newcomers. Yet Josh saw not a single redhead amongst them. Not that he was looking. It was simply a casual observation; his one real acquaintance among them wasn't there.

He sauntered further, exchanging greetings as he crossed the camp, and found the beginnings of the path along the riverbank that both he and Alexis had independently discovered last night. Here he stopped, because squeals had caught his attention, and glancing up, he saw a number of village children splashing in the water, most of them naked. A few of the environmental scientists were out there, too, and Josh felt his breath catch as his eyes landed on the beautiful redhead, who, he finally admitted to himself, he had been seeking.

Her hair was loose, cascading down her back, and she was clad in a simple navy blue bikini that was really quite modest, considering, but which still displayed the perfect porcelain of her skin. She was laughing, carefree, diving around the children and splashing them before darting away, her halfwit curly headed friend laughing with her.

Josh glowered. Anyone could see the boy was keen on her, not that he blamed him. And really, it was quite appropriate - they were the same age, after all, and on trips such as this romances were bound to blossom. It didn't mean he had to like the boy.

He moved a little further up the path, away from prying eyes, and continued to watch her. There was an innocence about her that he found himself drawn to, a zest for life he found captivating if only because he was so often surrounded by sickness and death, and he could not look away.

Then, all of a sudden, their eyes locked.

Josh felt like he'd been punched, like all his veins were on fire. The smile had dropped off her face when she saw him, and she stood, breasts heaving and bikini dripping in the water that barely reached her waist. Her eyes raked down his form, and he felt like a blushing schoolboy, standing dumbly in the bushes by the river. Then one of the children splashed her, and she laughed, throwing a playful comment over her shoulder.

He watched as she looked back at him, and jerked her head in invitation.

Well, it had been a long, hot day. Kicking off his shoes, he peeled his shirt over his head, then dropped his pants, figuring his boxers would do well enough for swimming in, and waded into the water.

He didn't miss the way her eyes lit up with delight when she saw him approaching, nor the way they almost immediately darkened as they wandered across his chest. He felt her gaze as if it were her very fingers, and he plunged into the delightfully cool water in a vain attempt to prevent his body from reacting to her.

One of the other college students - about half a dozen were in the water, including Alexis and her shadow - had brought a fluorescent orange frisbee in with them. The game, apparently, as far as the children were concerned, was to pile on top of whichever visitor had the frisbee and try to get it, before it got sent flying to the next person, causing much laughter and many chases as Pi, in particular, inevitably missed. Josh caught it neatly the first time it was tossed to him, and threw it to one of the others who was standing the farthest away. A couple of the children looked disappointed that he had sent it flying so quickly, and he winked at them.

"Next time," he promised. He knew they couldn't understand his words, but they seemed to understand his meaning and beamed up at him.

Sure enough, the next time he caught it, he held it up in the air. Next thing he knew, about a dozen of them swarmed on him as if he were a jungle gym. He could take them, of course, and took a few steps just to prove it, to their delighted shrieks of laughter. Then he chose a good stretch of water and pretended to trip over, dramatically crashing down, dunking the few still clinging to him and splashing those who had seen what was coming and tried to move away. He carefully held one of the smallest ones as he completed the maneuver, then relinquished the frisbee to the child who was delighted to have a chance to have the toy for a moment, and raced away, the others following in a pack.

Above the shouts and squeals, a beautiful, tinkling laughter rang out, and he glanced over to the source. Alexis. God, she was beautiful. She sent him a mischievous glance as the frisbee sailed back toward him, plucking it neatly out of the air in a perfect intercept a split second before he could catch it.

"My turn," she giggled, waving it at him.

He advanced slowly; in truth he didn't care at all about the frisbee, but everything in Alexis's body language was an invitation, and he was not stupid enough to turn her down. "That was meant for me," he replied, sure that his grin was belying his attempt at sternness, and she shook her head, backing up as he advanced, and hiding the frisbee behind her back.

He lunged, wrapping one arm firmly around her waist so he could control their fall, and brought her down into the water with him in a tackle. Of course, he had to pull her a little closer so that he could reach around her a wrestle the frisbee away, but she didn't seem to mind at all, laughing as he eventually managed to extricate it and send it flying.

He held her, breathless, as she gazed up at him in his arms, her grin slowly fading from her face, her eyes wide and blue. For a moment, the whole world dropped away, and there was nothing but Alexis.

Then came an authoritative shout from the river bank - one of the mothers calling the children in as the sun had already set - and he was forced to release her as the whole crowd trooped back to the river bank. He separated from the rest to go collect his clothes, and slipped back to his tent, still thinking of Alexis and trying to figure out exactly what had passed between them in the water.

The evening was spent around the campfire, talking and singing and exchanging stories - sometimes as a collective and sometimes breaking up into smaller groups. Josh didn't get a chance to sit next to Alexis, but he found himself seeking her out with his eyes from time to time, and exchanging laughing looks from across the circle, almost as if they had their own private conversation going on. The firelight complimented her hair and made it glow, and he had to keep reminding himself not to stare at her ethereal beauty.

It was still fairly early when they all turned in, though. It had been a busy, intense day, and the next would be likewise. Yet as Josh approached his tent, he knew he would not be able to sleep that night. Not with Dr. Redfern sleeping in the tent next to his and almost immediately settling in to snore. It wasn't like their tents were exactly soundproof. Josh glanced toward the track by the river. Alexis had disappeared into her tent at the same time as the rest and there was no reason to suppose she was up for another late night chat the way they had the night before, but.. what he really needed was some time alone to think, and their spot just up riverside track was the perfect place for it. Quietly, being sure that none of those settling into their tents should be disturbed, he made his way up the path and settled himself on their boulder.

At first he tried to think about anything other than Alexis. He thought back over his day, in particular over the handful of more unusual cases he had seen. The majority had been fairly straightforward and a little humdrum, but a few stood out, and he cast his mind over the details as the river flowed past just a few feet away, and the forest canopy whispered in the breeze. He thought about his practice back home in New York, about his latest email from his parents filled with news of old family friends. He thought about the weeks ahead, and the difference they were making here to these people.

Then he could think of nothing but Alexis. Her eyes, her hair, her smile. The way her swimsuit had managed to be so modest and yet so enticing at the same time, highlighting the creamy expanse of her skin, making him so aware that it was hiding more than it was revealing. The way the water clung to her eyelashes as she played in the river. The music of her laughter. The light and the invitation in her eyes. Surely he wasn't imagining it? Yet there was such a difference in their ages, so much pain in the scant history they shared. She couldn't possibly be thinking of him the way he was thinking of her. Not when she had so many other choices right in front of her - several members of her team were young men around her age, and it was much more likely that she was crushing on one of them.

Then he thought about the way she felt pressed up against him as they wrestled for the frisbee, and he groaned, burying his head in his hands. Her skin had been cool from the water, smooth and soft, and her curves had fit against him snugly. Really it was no wonder he couldn't sleep.

But anything that passed between them had to come from her. After all, he might be misreading everything, and he had seen enough horrific injuries caused by men forcing themselves on women on his missions with DWB to have very strong opinions on the subject of consent, and with her comparative youth it was especially important in this case.

No matter how his body reacted to her.

A snap of twigs sounded behind him then, and he could hear the soft sound of footsteps approaching behind him, and all of a sudden he knew he had not come out here to think at all - he was here in the hopes that she would be here, too. And as she quietly perched on the boulder beside him, his heart soared.

"Hey," she greeted him, wriggling a little to get comfortable. She was wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt, and had a blanket around herself. Not that it got really cold overnight, but compared to some of their daytime temperatures it was definitely cooler. Her hair was in a thick braid that fell forward over her shoulder, and she looked adorable.

"Hey. I'm glad you came," he smiled at her, and the little crease between her eyebrows vanished.

"Is it really okay that I'm here? I saw you sitting as I came up the path and you looked so deep in thought that I wasn't sure if I was interrupting," she explained in a rush.

"I was hoping you'd come," he admitted. "If I really wanted to be alone I wouldn't have come here. I really enjoyed talking to you last night, and…" he broke off, not sure how to say that he wanted to get to know her more without it sounding… well, exactly how he meant it, if he was being honest.

But a pleased smile lit up her face, and her whole posture seemed to relax. "I'm glad. I really liked talking to you, too."

A moment passed between them in which no words were spoken but they mutually delighted in the others' presence.

"Sooo…" Alexis began a little breathlessly, "I feel like you know a lot about me, but I know hardly anything about you. Have you always lived in New York? What made you decide to join Doctors Without Borders?"

He laughed, and launched into anecdotes about his childhood in Queens, his grandfather the surgeon who was his inspiration, and then grew more serious and told of his driving need to help those less fortunate, to bring healing to the broken.

"That sounds incredibly worthwhile. I've never experienced that. I still don't know what I want to do," she said wistfully.

"I've never not wanted to do this," he replied slowly. "Even when it's got in the way of relationships and-" He cut himself off, remembering her relationship to his ex.

"What did happen between you and Kate?" Alexis asked. "If you don't mind me asking, that is. I know this is… weird."

He felt his jaw work as he chose his words. "You can ask me anything, Alexis. Kate was… Kate was something else. So full of fire and hurt, and gorgeous. We met through Lanie Parish - we knew each other from med school and I bumped into her and Kate at a bar one night - and both of us were carrying so much tension from our vocations that when we connected it was… combustive."

She had shifted so that she was watching him, and he couldn't help blushing a little at what he was confessing, but he was determined to be honest. "That's all it was, at first, but then we started meeting for dinner beforehand and… Both of us saw so much darkness every day so we never talked about anything serious, which should have been my first warning sign. Then she kept talking about Castle, and even then I just knew."

At the mentions of her father's name, Alexis's eyes dropped and she shifted back to staring out at their view. He took a deep breath and kept going. "But I was starting to really fall for her so I ignored it. I figured I was the one she chose to be with so I couldn't complain, you know? But as we got more involved it became clear that I was going to have to choose between her and doing this, because she would never choose me over her work so any sacrifice would have to come from me. That should have been a warning sign too, but I really wanted to make it work, to be her everything. Only I was never allowed close enough. And then she got shot and I guess she used the chance to be honest about her feelings for your dad, because she dumped me before she left the hospital and I haven't seen her since."

He glanced at her as he finished speaking, trying to gauge her reaction. She was staring out across the river watching the moon rise over the trees, and seemed lost in thought. "Alexis? Whatever happened between Kate and I… it was almost two years ago. I don't regret being with her but I can see now that we weren't right for each other. I really am happy that she's found someone she can really be with, even if it is the guy I was jealous of when we were together. She always held herself back from me so I'm glad she has someone who really gets her, who she won't have to give up her life's work for."

Alexis sighed, still with her eyes turned to the scenery. "Thank you for telling me," she said, subdued, then burst out, "I wish I was like her. She has everyone falling over themselves to be with her, with just one flash of her big, sad eyes. Just once I'd like someone to look at me the way everyone looks at her!"

Josh blinked, a little taken aback by the sudden storm, but he recovered quickly and responded, "Kate has a lot of admirable qualities, like her strength and her work ethic and her tenacity. And yes, she is beautiful, and yes, she draws men like moths. I was one, so I can admit that. But Alexis, you have a lot of those same qualities. I've seen how you work here, and it takes tenacity and grit to even want to come on this program after all you've been through. The difference is," and here he placed a tentative hand on her arm to get her full attention, "The difference is, you're romanticizing her darkness when one of your most attractive qualities is that you are such a beacon of light. You remind people just with the power of your smile that there is good in this world and it is worth fighting for. Don't wish for darkness when you are so filled with light."

She stared at him, and he could see in her eyes the way her quick intellect was processing the new idea. No wonder, if her father had been following Kate around like a forlorn puppy for years, that Alexis had developed some skewed ideas about what constituted an 'attractive' woman.

"You really think that?" she asked a little breathlessly, and even in the pale moonlight he could see the flush in her cheeks.

"I really do," he confirmed. "Never wish to be anyone other than you, Alexis. The world doesn't need a second Kate Beckett - one is plenty. You have gifts and talents and abilities and experiences that she will never have, and your destiny is different to hers. Admire her good points, sure. Try to emulate what you like about her, great. But not at the cost of who you are, when you are a unique gift to the world."

The color in her cheeks was darker now, and her head was ducking in embarrassment. "Thank you," she all but whispered, and he had to resist the urge to take her into his arms.

Instead, he changed the subject. "Did I tell you about my first Doctors Without Borders mission? I was fresh out of med school, and we were in Ecuador…" He launched into an account and was relieved to see her color subside, and her musical laughter soon filled the air. Then she talked about some of her father's bigger faux pas, about growing up as the only daughter to Richard Castle. His heart twisted as he listened. He would never truly like the man, but he had to admit the guy had, for the most part, done right by his daughter. He didn't say anything, though, instead talked about some of the pranks he had witnessed or been involved with in med school, and that got them onto undergrad subjects and from there to books, and before he knew what had happened, the moon was high in the sky, and in spite of her blanket and the relative warmth of the night, Alexis was shivering.

"We should probably head back," he suggested, and she nodded with obvious reluctance. He stood, and held out his hand to help her up - not that she needed it, of course, but she dimpled up at him and accepted the assistance. A comfortable silence settled over them as they returned to the camp, the sounds of the forest around them and the whisper of the trees more than adequate to say the things he felt he could not express.

They paused when they reached her tent, and she turned to face him, sweeping loose tendrils of hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture, her blue eyes pale in the moonlight.

"Thank you for walking me back. I had a really nice time tonight," she said in a quiet voice out of deference to those sleeping in neighboring tents.

He smiled at down at her, the post-date-like overtone to her words not lost on him. "It was my pleasure. Have a good sleep, Alexis," he said warmly, and was about to step away when her hand on his arm stopped him. Next thing he knew, she was up on her toes, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He looked at her, surprised, and her eyes widened as if shocked at her own actions. Her cheeks flamed scarlet, and she would have fled, but he reached out and clasped the hand that had rested on his arm.

She halted, and lowered her head.

"Alexis, what was that?" he asked.

"I... N-Nothing. I just wanted to-" she stopped in apparent confusion. Her hand trembled in his, and he slackened his hold so that she could escape if she wanted to, but she didn't let him go.

"Wanted to – what? Kiss me on the cheek?" he teased, and her head ducked lower.

"Yes – no – I can't explain," she finished desperately, and he frowned.

"You wanted to kiss me?" he asked, trying to untangle her meaning.

After a pause, she gave the smallest, minutest little nod. His breath caught in his throat.

"On the cheek?" he prodded, trying not to hope.

An even longer pause, then an even smaller shake of her head.

His heart started thundering in his chest. Did that mean...?

He cleared his throat. "Alexis, if I were to kiss you right now – properly, I mean – would that... would that be something you would be okay with?"

Her head jerked up, her lips parted in surprise, and in her eyes he could read shock and disbelief, as well as excitement, exhilaration, hope – and arousal. She searched his eyes for a moment as if wanting to be sure he wasn't laughing at her, then set her mouth in a decisive line and gave him a firm nod.

He gave a low, breathless laugh, and tugged her toward him with their joined hands. She stepped into him eagerly, and he cupped her jaw, releasing her hand so he could wind his other hand behind her back and up into her hair. Her lips were curving up into a smile as he briefly brushed them with his own, a chaste, gentle beginning – then came back for a second, then a third time. He pulled back just enough to see her face; her eyes were closed, her lips puckered, and still that smile lingered around the corners of her mouth.

This time when he leaned in, he fused their mouths together properly, and barely had to run his tongue along her bottom lip before she was opening to him like a rosebud to the rain. She allowed him to thoroughly explore her mouth before indulging in a few exploratory tongue-darts of her own that grew bolder as the kiss progressed.

Then he nipped her bottom lip and she groaned audibly, and he nearly combusted on the spot. Had there been anything nearby firmer than her tent poles – a tree, a door jamb, a table, a bed, anything – he would have pressed her up against it in a moment and things probably would have progressed even faster, but as it was, the lack of nearby surfaces reminded him of their surroundings, and he slowly gentled the kiss until they finally broke apart. It took a heroic effort to step away from her, but he did, trailing his hand down her arm and squeezing her hand one last time before completely releasing her. Her hair was mussed from his hands, her lips swollen, and she looked delectable.

"I'll see you in the morning," he promised, and she smiled, tucking her bottom lip into her teeth as if still trying to taste their kiss.

"Will you be there – at the boulder, I mean – tomorrow night?" she asked breathlessly.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he replied.

She grinned at him. "Good night, Josh."

"Good night, Alexis."


	3. Chapter 3

If the day before had been tiring, the next day was exhausting. Josh was woken before dawn to deal with an emergency patient, and then was plunged into a series of surgeries and consultations. He was used to working on limited sleep and no breaks, though, and while his body was tired, his heart was singing. It had been many years since something as simple as a goodnight kiss after a date - and really, their times at their boulder were dates, even without traditional city entertainments like restaurants and movie theaters - had brought him so much joy. Anna, the nurse who had cast long looks at him at the start of their mission, watched him with narrowed eyes but said nothing, instead pushing through with him as the time usually set aside for their breaks got eaten up by an unwillingness to give less than their very best to each patient.

Thus when the sound of Professor Rankowski's voice two hours before the scientists were due to return to base calling for medical attention shattered the calm of the afternoon, Josh felt like everything screeched to a halt and his heart had dropped out onto the ground beneath him.

Alexis.

He had just been finishing up with his current patient, and Anna took one look at his face. "I've got it from here, Doctor. Go!" she said, and he didn't stick around to argue.

He had further to go than some off the others, though, as his consulting area was in the far corner, and Doctor Redfern was already organizing a somewhat limp figure onto a stretcher as Josh came barrelling around the side of their makeshift hospital.

He barely paused to identify the wounded (it was the idiot-child Pi) because helping Dr. Redfern to get the boy settled was a blood- and mud-covered Alexis. As soon as she straightened, he gripped her by the shoulders - clearly they, at least, were unhurt - and spun her around to face him, unconsciously lifting one hand to cup her cheek even as the other hovered down to the patches of blood on her shirt.

"Alexis, are you hurt?" he demanded, checking her over, frenzied. She gripped his wandering hands and stilled him, her eyes filled with bemused adoration.

"Josh, I'm fine. It's not my blood," she reassured him.

His heart was still thundering, and had her hold on his hands not been so firm he would have started checking her over once more. "Are you sure?"

This time she smiled at him, and finally he was satisfied. "I'm sure. Pi wouldn't listen to anyone else so I had to help him back."

"What happened?" barked Dr. Redfern, who was carefully checking the real patient over, and Professor Rankowski explained.

"We were in a toucan nesting area and Pi strayed a little from the group and then panicked when they started swooping at him. He tripped over some underbrush and fell down a bank, and knocked himself out for a few moments. We were reasonably certain that he hadn't done any real damage, but those scratches wouldn't stop bleeding and of course his head should be looked at. He wouldn't listen to any instruction, either, aside from young Alexis, here. He kept talking about toucans attacking his butterflies."

Dr. Redfern nodded. "Let's get him inside. He might need stitches, or at the very least, a head examination" He gave the signal and the stretcher-bearers lifted Pi up and followed Dr. Redfern and the attendant medical staff back in.

Professor Rankowski looked over at Alexis. "You did a wonderful job today, Alexis. Go ahead and get yourself cleaned up. We'll take care of the equipment and your logs."

"Thanks, Professor," she said, tiredness evident on her face in spite of her smile, and glanced up at Josh. "I'll catch you later?" she asked shyly.

"Of course," he nodded, and watched her go. The professor had turned to his students to issue instructions, and a moment later, Josh was left alone.

He made his way slowly back to his consulting area, where he was met by Anna.

"Sorry about that," he said, sinking into his chair. "Everything go okay?"

"No problems at all, and I even started in on some of the paperwork," Anna grinned.

"Thank you!" Josh said fervently, picking up a clipboard. "Now, who's our next-?"

Anna gently but firmly took the clipboard out of his hands. "Dr. Davidson," she said formally - they had been on first name basis since the start of their tour, "You didn't take a break at all yesterday, and you haven't taken one today, either. It's after 3, and you've been working since sunrise. Go take a real break."

He frowned at her. "Are you sure?"

"I could use one, too. Seriously, go see that girl of yours. You'll be better for it." Her eyes were knowing and tinged with a hint of disappointment, but her mouth was set in a firm line.

And he really wanted to see Alexis again, without everyone around, so he could really be absolutely sure she was okay. Not that he didn't believe her, but seeing her so disheveled and covered in blood had been enough to give him a shock he had yet to recover from.

He stood and headed for the food area first, picking up a sandwich and some fruit which he demolished on the way to the campsite. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he took his first bite.

Alexis's tent was empty, the flap not quite drawn shut as if she expected to return any moment. He glanced around but there was no sign of her returning, and he frowned. Perhaps she was more shaken up by the incident than she had let on and had retired to their boulder to find some peace? Ought he to follow her? But what if she had been injured and she hadn't wanted the professor to know? He decided to check and see, anyway.

A little over half way along the path to their boulder, a large, low tree hung out over the riverbank all but concealing a small, deep portion of water from the part of the river by the camp where they had played in the water the day before. On their walks to and from their boulder, it had simply registered as a dark stretch of path along the edge of the water, but as he rounded the bend in the path that hid this spot, he stopped short, inadvertently kicking a pebble into the water.

Alexis was in the water, hidden by the tree to all eyes but his, and though he could see little more than her back and her beautiful hair currently bundled into an adorable knot on top of her head, all her milky skin from her neck to the flare of her hips was on display.

He was unable to look away from the vision before him.

The pebble made a loud "plop" sound as it fell into the water, and Alexis instinctively ducked down before looking around, in an attempt to preserve her modesty.

"Josh?"

"I- sorry, I didn't know- I had a break and I wanted to see- I mean, to find out if you're really okay, and…" All of a sudden he realized that he was still staring at her, and both hands flew up to cover his eyes. "I'm sorry. I thought you might be upset about Pi, and be up at the boulder."

She gave a low, embarrassed laugh that somehow eased his awkwardness. "I told you, I'm fine. I'm just washing off. I was about to get out anyway. Mind turning around for a moment?"

"Of course." He spun around, still keeping his hands firmly over his eyes. He heard a few light splashes, then the sure sound of her wading out of the water. A few seconds more, then she cleared her throat.

"You can turn around now," she said, and he cautiously lowered his hands and peered around. She was wrapped in a pale blue terry cloth robe that gave no indication that she was most likely not wearing a scrap beneath it, and had he not seen for himself that she had been naked mere seconds earlier, he would have been none the wiser as it covered her from neck to just above her knees. However, he did know, and couldn't stop his eyes from raking over her form before stopping to stare at the knotted belt at her waist and secretly willing it to come undone.

She cleared her throat, and he raised his eyes to her face. Her eyebrow was arched, letting him know he had been caught ogling her, but there was a smile playing around the corner of her lips. "Like what you see?" she asked drily.

He moved to meet her, offering her a self-deprecating grin, but his answer was sincere. "Very much." He lifted a hand to dust back a loose tendril of her hair, and she blushed, pausing indecisively for just a moment, then stepping into him for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her, the feel of her in his arms doing more for his momentary panic than any verbal reassurances.

"I really am fine," she said eventually.

"I know. And I know it's completely irrational, but I was worried," he admitted. She released him, stepping back a little so she could see his face. Was it weird that his arms felt empty?

"It's sweet of you to care, but I'm a big girl. I can handle myself." She said it with so much dignity he found himself believing her.

"I'm sure you can," he began seriously, then flashed her a flirtatious smile, sliding his arms around her waist and reeling her in, "but I so enjoy being allowed to handle you."

She bit her lip, looking up at him coyly from under her eyelashes. "Think you can handle it?"

"Try me," he said, bending down to kiss her. The temerity of her kisses last night had disappeared, and he was delighted to find that she quickly took control of the kiss, nipping and sucking, exploring. He felt her nails scrape up into his hair, angling his head so she could delve in deeper, and he groaned and fought back, running his hands up and down the soft terry cloth at her back, plundering her mouth. When oxygen became a necessity, he broke away from her mouth and moved along her jaw to nip her ear, tracing a line down her neck and along the thin strip of skin peeking through at the collar of her robe. Her hands were clinging to his hair, her chest heaving, and he was just following that enticing line down, down - was just nosing the cloth to one side to access the top of one delectable breast he planned to feast upon - when a shout of laughter from the camp, blocked by trees but really only yards away, had them both freezing.

Unwillingly - oh, God, so unwillingly - he forced himself to pull away. Their eyes met; hers were almost black with arousal, still trying to come back down to earth from the haze, and he could only imagine that his were the same.

"I, uh…" he began, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I should really get back to work," he said regretfully, and she nodded, but didn't release him.

"See you tonight?" she asked, her voice hopeful, and he nodded.

"Tell you what, meet me up there around moon rise - that's, what, around 10:30? Everyone should be asleep by then - and I'll raid the food supplies and we can have a picnic," he suggested, and she grinned, leaning into him to kiss him once more.

"Sounds perfect. Now, Dr. Davidson, go save some lives and let me go get dressed," she commanded, and he groaned.

"Sure you don't need help with that?" he teased, and she laughed.

"Go!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going. I'll see you tonight."

She smiled softly. "See you tonight," she agreed.

Of course, after that interlude he was much, much more distracted, only in a much, much more pleasant way. He hummed to himself as he worked, and tried to ignore Anna's knowing looks.

"I see you enjoyed your break," she commented.

He grinned. "Yes, I did, thanks," was all he said, though. He wasn't going add to the rumor mill any more than he could help.

He was just greeting his second-to-last patient for the day when his eyes were drawn to the entrance to their makeshift hospital, at the far end from his corner. Alexis was the only redhead in the group so it was always obvious when she came or went. She didn't seem to be looking for him, though, instead moving over to their recovery area where Pi was being kept for observation. He had forgotten all about the boy, but Alexis had a generous heart so it didn't surprise him that she hadn't. He firmly squashed the worm of jealousy that began to eat at him as Pi brightened when he saw his visitor. The boy was clearly harboring a crush, and had his own arrival on the scene not interrupted things, perhaps Alexis might have returned it. But an image of her breathlessly moaning into his kiss earlier in the afternoon sprang to mind, and by comparison there was nothing to indicate anything more than friendship in the smile she offered the boy in return.

He carried on with his patient, trying to block all non-professional thoughts from his mind as he carried on with his consultation. Thankfully it was a fairly straightforward case, but still he was relieved when Anna escorted the patient away. One more, and he could stop.

As Anna passed Alexis, he was surprised to see her excuse herself from Pi and stand, catching Anna's arm and asking a question, her cheeks pink. A whispered conversation followed, and Anna nodded, heading over to the medical supplies as Alexis hovered. Then Anna returned, handing Alexis… something… he couldn't quite see what it was, and she quickly concealed it in the pocket of her shorts. Then she happened to glance his way, as if she felt his eyes on her, and their gazes locked. He quirked his eyebrow in question, and the color of her cheeks darkened from pink to the deepest red, then, without pausing to bid farewell to her friend, she fled.

Well, that was odd.

So, too, was the look Anna was giving him as she returned with their next patient. "I just hope you know what you're doing with that girl," she murmured, he looked at her in question, but she had turned to their patient and was completely professional, if a little aloof, for the remainder of their shift.

After he was done for the day, he wandered back to the camp, but there was no sign of Alexis - nor of most of the student scientists. He was a little disgruntled as he would have liked to asked her about that scene in the hospital, but considering how heated their earlier make-out session had been, he figured it was probably wiser to not be seen with her in public if he didn't want to cause tongues to wag. Instead, he joined Dr. Redfern and some of their other colleagues in a casual chat.

The students didn't return until dinner was being served, and they all made themselves comfortable around the campfire again as the tropical sunset blazed across the sky, brilliant and brief, and darkness settled in early. Like the night before, the evening was spent in conversation, and when Josh did happen to catch Alexis's eye across the circle, he was pleased to see there was only residual levels of embarrassment remaining in her gaze.

The early start that morning - for Josh was not the only one woken before dawn - sent the majority of their group to bed early, and Josh himself was happy to be among their number. Not that he planned on sleeping, but he didn't want anyone witnessing his departure for the boulder, as the supplies he planned to bring tonight would be sure to cause questions.

An hour later, the camp was quiet, only the sounds of the surrounding forest and Dr. Redfern's chainsaw imitation breaking the stillness of the evening. Josh exited his tent stealthily and stood, reassuring himself that no late lingerers remained, then grabbed the bundle out of his tent and zipped the flap. He made a detour past the food supplies, picking up a plastic-wrapped platter of leftover fruit portions that had been served for dessert and a bag of chocolate chip cookies, then headed up the path. He wasn't exactly sure how long he had and he wanted everything to be ready by the time Alexis came.

He started by unfurling his bedroll on the narrow ledge between the boulder and the river, and opening his sleeping bag to cover it, creating a much more pleasant space to sit than the boulder itself - it was convenient, yes, but he was tired of sitting on it for hours at a stretch. Then he arranged the oddments of food he had acquired in the middle, and was just regretting the lack of candlelight to really set the mood - although even if he did have candles all they would do is attract every mosquito for miles around so it was probably for the best there were none available - when the soft sound of footsteps warned him that Alexis was approaching.

He rose to greet her, leaning in to brush his lips across hers in greeting. "Hey," he whispered, and she smiled back at him, shy and eager.

"Hi," she responded.

He led her by the hand around the boulder, revealing his little set up, and she grinned at him.

"This looks amazing," she said, and paused to remove her shoes before settling down, cross legged, her back against the boulder.

"I figured we might as well be a little more comfortable," he grinned, toeing off his own shoes and joining her. "Sorry there isn't much more than fruit and cookies, I didn't want to disturb anyone."

"This is great. I'm not really hungry yet, anyway, after that dinner," she said, unwrapping the plastic from the small platter and selecting a slice of cantaloupe. She glanced up at him. "Everything okay?"

"Great!" he replied, perhaps a little forced, but now that they were here by design rather than by just finding one another, something felt... off.

"Josh?"

"Is this awkward to you? I mean, what are we doing here?" he asked.

She took a final bite of cantaloupe and tossed the skin into some nearby underbrush. "Eating fruit under the stars, maybe making out, maybe more than making out. Why? Having second thoughts?"

"I just - should I even be here? You're so young-" he began, but she interrupted him, her blue eyes snapping.

"I'm 19!"

"I'm not," he pointed out, and she deflated.

"I thought you wanted this," she said in a small voice.

"I do," he found himself answering honestly, against his better judgement. "Alexis, look at me. I want you. I have ever since that awful truck ride when you wouldn't even talk to me."

She ducked her head. "Then what's the problem?"

"I need to be sure that you really want this. That I'm not forcing you."

Oh, that's a look. "Really?" she asked, unimpressed. "Our make out session this afternoon wasn't enough of a clue? Or how about the fact that I'm here, tonight, willingly and of my own free choice?"

"I'm just trying to do the right thing here!"

"By making me doubt whether you even want me? Sexy."

He sighed. "Consent is always sexy, Alexis, and especially considering the differences in our ages, if I'm not absolutely convinced that you are 110% sure and enthusiastic about this, then we are stopping immediately. And I mean that, at any point. You have to be sure that you're sure, because as much as I want you, I refuse to be that guy."

She looked at him consideringly for a long moment, then sighed, her momentary anger melting away. "You're sweet, but it's really unnecessary. I've thought about this, Josh, and I'm sure. Here, I can prove it to you. This is my contribution to tonight's activities," she said, and, with a most attractive blush staining her cheeks, she withdrew a small package out of her pocket and handed it to him.

It was a simple paper bag, identical to those they used in the clinic. He opened it, and pulled out a handful of foil packages.

Condoms.

Shit, no wonder Alexis had been so embarrassed when he had caught her talking to Anna. And no wonder Anna had been so implacable afterwards.

He stared down at them, then lifted his eyes to Alexis, who looked like she was trying to hold back a giggle. Not that he blamed her; he knew his mouth was hanging open.

"You act like I've never done this before. Granted I don't have vast experience, but I'm a consenting adult and I know what I'm doing," she assured him, recovering the fruit platter and placing it and the bag of cookies up on the boulder behind them before stretching one leg over so that she was straddling him. "The question is, Dr. Davidson, do I have your consent to have my wicked way with you?"

He had to check, one last time. "You're absolutely sure, Alexis? Because it's going to complicate things, what with Kate and your dad…"

She brushed her lips against his. "I don't care about that. And I'm not doing this with you because I'm angry at them; I'm doing this because I want you," she whispered.

"I want you, too. Not as a way to get back at them, either, but because I think you're amazing and in spite of everything I think we somehow work," he replied, brushing his lips over hers in like manner.

"In that case," Alexis mumbled in between meeting his lips again and again, "Can we please stop talking about my Dad and your ex? Or even better yet, stop talking?"

"Sounds perfect," he replied, and started kissing her in earnest.


	4. Chapter 4

*****PLEASE NOTE: THIS FIC IS NOW RATED M*****

* * *

She was floating in a sea of sensation. Or was she drowning? She had no idea. His kisses were drugging her, giving her hit after hit but leaving her ever addicted, desperate for more. His tongue was wicked, drawing wanton moans from her as he devastated her mouth again and again.

He released her with a pop, and she whined.

But then he was moving down her neck, nipping and soothing, and she arched like a cat to allow him access. She found herself gripping his shoulders, simply holding on, happy to allow him to direct their path. He certainly knew what he was doing; she wasn't vastly experienced, but she could tell even now that he was, and he knew exactly what to do to bring his partner pleasure. He gripped her hips, shifting her so that her core now pressed against the growing bulge in his pants, and- _oh_.

Like the rest of him, it was not a small bulge at all, and the moment she felt herself aligned with it, even through their clothes, lightning zipped through her, and she found she could not stop her hips from rolling into his again and again, trying to soothe the want that was growing inside her, only fanning the flames higher. He sucked on her pulse at her neck, and her hips jerked harder into his, her nipples pebbling where they were pressed against his chest. His arms banded around her, strong and sure, one hand supporting her lower back and helping her to maintain their friction, the other buried in her hair, supporting her neck and angling her in any direction of his choosing.

None of the boys she had ever dated - and compared to this moment, they were all mere boys - had ever made her feel this unraveled in such a short space of time. She was used to fumbling inexperience and selfish grasping for their own pleasure, at least until she was able to show them how to touch her. Even then, though, she wasn't herself experienced enough to know how to guide them. This man, though, had yet to touch her anywhere indecent, yet she felt unraveled and undone, simply from the ministrations of his mouth on hers, his lips at her throat.

She had changed into a simple grey shirt and charcoal hiking shorts after her bathe that afternoon - they were about the nicest clothes she had with her, considering - and she came to a whole new appreciation for wide-necked shirts as he nosed the fabric aside to taste her collar bone. She slid one hand up into his hair as she felt his glide down her back and then up under the fabric at her waist, his fingers warm and firm on her skin, fire following in their wake.

"Off," she panted, and after the briefest hesitation, he peeled her shirt up and over her head, revealing her simple cotton bra.

He stared down at her, his eyes like midnight, and it seemed to take him some effort to lift his gaze to her face once more. He didn't say anything, though, instead diving in to take her mouth once more, this time with more confidence. She arched into him as his hands inched their way up from her waist until he finally, finally cupped her breast, molding it into his large palm and squeezing, brushing the peak of her nipple through the fabric, sending lightning to her core.

Her own hands were no longer idle. She had been mapping her way down the firm breadth of his chest, and now was gathering the edges of his shirt. Unwillingly, because his tongue was doing sensational things to her mouth, she broke off their kiss so that she could push his shirt up over his head, dropping it somewhere behind them. She leaned forward to begin an assault on his neck and shoulder, and felt one of his warm hands slide around her, up her back, and a moment later she felt the clasp of her bra being released.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, leaning her away from him as he dusted her bra straps gently down her arms, then pulled the garment off and away, leaving them both naked from the waist up. They took a moment to simply stare at each other, skin all but glowing in the moonlight, the world around them completely hushed.

Then everything was frantic movement as mouths fused and fingers danced and explored, kneading and touching. He took her breasts in his hands once more, this time pinching and teasing her nipples, and she retaliated by scraping her fingernails down his muscular chest and up his back. Then he followed his hands with his mouth, sucking and laving, and it was all she could do just to hold on as sensation overwhelmed her.

"Please," she cried, not even entirely sure what she was asking for, only knowing that she needed something, something - more. He seemed to understand, though, as one of his hands snaked down between them, popping the button of her shorts, curling down past her underwear, and slipping his fingers through her folds, grazing her clit. She cried out, loudly, jerking into him as she grappled at his shoulders, her body beyond her own control.

He reached up with the hand that was not currently occupied, cupping her jaw so that he could press his thumb against her lips. "You'll have to be quiet, Alexis," he said, and she was too far gone to care about how smug he sounded. "Sound travels further at night. We don't want to wake the camp or the villagers because you're screaming."

He punctuated that remark by sliding two fingers inside of her, and she whimpered, retaliating by opening her mouth wider and pulling his thumb inside, swirling her tongue around it in an attempt to keep from making too much noise as his fingers began to slide in and out of her rhythmically.

"You're so wet for me," he whispered, his voice full of awe, and he bent down so he could take her nipple into his mouth, his thumb reaching up to find her clit once more, and with so many sensations, it only took a few more deft strokes and she was flying, arching wildly against him, breaking apart on the crest of her release.

Boneless, she felt him gather her into him, and she collapsed gratefully into the cove of his chest. His large hands swept up and down the length of her back, bringing her warmth in the sudden chill, and it was only once she was able to blink open her eyes, gazing up at him in wonder, that he spoke.

"Alexis, that was incredible. You are incredible."

Her mind devoid of words, she reached up with one clumsy hand to cup his jaw, dragging his mouth down to meet hers.

It took a surprisingly - to her, at least - short amount of time for their kiss to get out of hand, and almost before she knew what was happening, he guiding her down onto her back, stretching out beside her on their makeshift bed, mouths still fused, hands roaming. She swept her hands down his chest, lower, and paused as she encountered his pants. As if in answer, his hands settled at her waist, fingers trailing the smooth skin at the edge of her still open shorts and the resulting visible scrap of her cotton panties, and they drew back to look at each other, chests heaving.

"We don't have to go any further tonight…" he began, but even before he finished speaking, she hooked her fingers in her waistbands, drawing her open short and panties down her legs and kicking them away, leaving herself completely exposed to him. He watched with hungry eyes, taking his time to really study her from her toes up, and when he finally reached her eyes, there was a quirk of humor in his gaze, as well as a burning need. He said nothing, however, instead shucking his own pants and underwear, all but ignoring her as he reached over for a condom.

Alexis felt her cheeks flushed as she looked down at him. She had felt the growing bulge earlier through his clothes and had thought he was well endowed then, but seeing just how big he was in the flesh and at attention caused her breath to stutter and her mind to blank.

How in the world was he going to fit?

It was a ridiculous thought, she knew, but Max had been fairly average in size and she didn't exactly have many more examples available for comparison. She had researched sex when she started dating Max, knew all about how her own muscles could stretch to accommodate size, was aware that men being well endowed was considered to be a good thing, but even so…

Her thoughts were interrupted as her line of sight was, as he expertly rolled the condom down his shaft, taking a moment to be sure it was on properly with such a professional assurance that she was reminded once again that he was a doctor. He then returned to his spot, stretched out alongside her, his head propped up in one hand, his eyes sweeping the length of her body before glancing up at her face once more.

"Everything okay?" he asked, resting his free hand on the relatively neutral skin of her stomach. She nodded, taking his hand and tugging, and he followed her mute request, bracing himself over her. She shifted her legs apart to accommodate him, and stifled a gasp as she felt him settling against her, skin on skin. He was looking down at her, not saying or doing anything, and she quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Everything okay with you?" she asked, hoping to spur him into action. He quirked a smile at her, then glanced down at her chest.

"Your skin glows in the moonlight," he said, then bent down to press an open-mouthed kiss between her breasts. "I think I'm going to start calling you 'Peaches and Cream'," he added with a smirk, and before she could think of a response, his mouth was open on her breast, sucking at her nipple, and his hand was squeezing, molding, and pinching the one on the other side. She groaned, running her fingers up through his hair, sliding along his shoulders, trying to find purchase on his back. It felt like lightning zipping from the peak of her breast to her core, and as she arched up she could feel his length against her leg and it was all she could do not to beg. His mouth switched sides and his tongue swirled and his teeth nipped and she flung her head back, beyond capable of containing herself.

He moved up her breast, up her neck, and simultaneously slid a hand down between them, dipping between her folds and causing her to gasp.

"You ready?" he murmured, and she nodded.

He guided himself to her entrance, and held himself there, slipping back and forth between her folds, teasing even as he bent down to kiss her.

Then he began pressing into her.

He took it slowly, inch by inch, pausing frequently and allowing her more than enough time to adjust, gliding back out and then moving in a little further, a little deeper with each shallow thrust. Alexis felt her muscles stretching, burning, yet the burn was so good, the sparks and embers fanning, growing, flaming. With a final push, he was encased within her, and he rested his forehead on hers as they breathed together, both taking a moment.

She reached up to meet his mouth with hers in a sweet, chaste kiss.

He pulled out of her and slid back in, and both of them groaned. Then all was movement as he set a slow, steady pace, withdrawing and then sliding back in, her body clamping and releasing around him in time. He started moving more steadily, completely in control, palming her breast again, their tongues mimicking the movement of their bodies, and she ran a hand around his waist, smoothing down his spine so that she could squeeze his ass.

His rhythm stuttered, and he jerked into her sharply.

"Yesssssss," she hissed, and he blinked down at her, repeating the action.

Her hips rose to meet his.

"More. Please, Josh," she moaned, and his mouth crashed back down to hers as he started fucking her in earnest. She raised her legs higher on his hips, her ankles locking around his back as he pounded into her, her nails scrabbling for purchase at his back, doubtless leaving marks. She felt full, possessed, wanton - loved, even as every nerve ending began to sing, the coil in her core building, building - she needed -

His fingers brushed through her curls, finding her clit, and that was all she needed to go flying, the explosion of her climax sending shock waves out, clenching around his length, and with a stifled roar he followed her, pushing into her one last time and then stilling as she milked him dry, and they slumped together, breathing heavily.

He moved as if to roll off her, but she held him tight, not willing yet to lose him, not caring if having him on top of her like this was making it difficult to catch her breath.

"Stay," she whispered. After a moment, though, he rolled them both so that she was nestled into him, their bodies still interlocked even as she felt him soften within her.

He brushed her hair out of her eyes. "That was - Alexis, I don't have words."

She met his lips with a smile. "Not bad," she agreed playfully. "But as I'm here as a scientist, I feel that I should point out that the hypothesis should be tested more thoroughly before we draw any conclusions."

He groaned. "Give me a few minutes to recover, Peaches, and I'll test that hypothesis of yours to the limit," he said, bending down to kiss her again.

Eventually Josh wiggled out of her arms and sat up. Tucking one arm behind her head so that she had a better view, she watched as he deftly disposed of the condom, tucking the rubbish back in the paper bag in which they had arrived. He then clambered down to the edge of the river, leaving his back to her, and after a few minutes he returned, picking up the fruit and cookies and passing them down to her before lowering himself to a sitting position, leaning back against the boulder. She pouted up at him, annoyed he was so far away, but when she held out her hand to beckon him back down to her, he hauled her up instead, and guided her to sit between his legs, her back against his chest.

She sighed and melted against him, enjoying the warmth of his skin, the support of his broad chest behind her. He opened the fruit platter, passing her another piece of the melon she had sampled earlier, and selecting a chunk of mango for himself, and for a while they ate in companionable silence. At one point she felt his hand - the one not supplying them both with snacks - slip around her waist, his fingers brushing back and forth along the skin of her stomach in a gentle caress that left her shivering.

To be honest, at first she thought he was being completely absent minded, but once she refused more food, replete, his fingers began to wander further, sweeping up to just brush the underside of her breast, down around the edge of her navel, along her hip and the outside of her thigh, and then back again, leaving her skin tingling, making her squirm as he avoided any really sensitive areas. She felt him move the leftovers away, then sweep her hair away from one shoulder, and then his mouth was on her, nibbling at the back of her neck, and she gasped.

"Did I tell you about the time…" he began, and she half turned to look at him over her shoulder in askance at his apparent non-sequitur, but he nudged her back around. "Trust me?" he asked.

She nodded. She did trust him, although she had no idea what he was doing. He began telling a story from his childhood then, of visiting an aunt who had moved to rural Georgia for work, and of spending long days climbing trees in the orchard next door. His hands roamed as he spoke, stroking and petting her, almost entirely in neutral zones where, had either of them actually been wearing clothes, it would have been acceptable for him to touch in public - yet as she listened to the cadence of his voice and felt his hands sweeping idly across her skin, she felt the hum of arousal coursing through her once more. She began to reciprocate, teasing the skin of the muscular thighs bracketing her as she sat, dancing her fingertips down his powerful forearms and gliding them over the backs of his hands even as they swept across her skin.

His words were murmured in her ear, and he occasionally punctuated a sentence by nipping at her earlobe or kissing her neck.

And then he started talking about the peaches from that orchard, and his large hands swept up to fully cup both breasts, and even as she threw her head back onto his shoulder for support, she was groaning internally at herself for not recognising what he had been leading up to. It didn't help that his description of the peaches was downright pornographic, nor did the way she could feel the rumble of his voice where her back was pressed to his chest.

"...They were the sweetest things I have ever tasted. Sweet, just a little tangy, and so juicy that you had to wipe your mouth after every bite. They were large, too. I remember the weight of them, the way just one would fill my hand - how soft they were to touch, how gentle you had to be with them. And then the texture of the flesh as I took bite after bite."

He had been testing the weight of her breasts as he spoke, pinching and tugging at her nipples, letting them fill his hands and squeezing as if testing the fruit he was describing, and Alexis groaned, her knees dropping wider as his words and his hands worked her up again.

He kissed her neck again and she mewled, breathless, turning her face to press into his jaw. "Please," she murmured, straining to nip at his stubble, the movement making her aware of his arousal growing steadily behind her.

One of his hands slid down her stomach, pausing for just a moment above her curls, and then she was choking back another cry as his fingers dipped down to part her folds, and she jerked her hips up to meet him.

"So wet for me again, Peaches?" he asked. She could hear his satisfaction.

"Josh…" it was meant to be a demand but it came out more like a sigh.

"You want this?" he asked, his tone serious. Always with the consent. She had to agree with him, though. His insistence on asking each time was becoming a genuine turn on.

"Yes. Please," she begged again. His fingers were sliding through her folds, brushing her clit with each pass, and she could feel herself growing more and more slick. Then, suddenly, his hands were gone from both breast and center, settling instead on her hips.

"You need to move, Peaches. I've got you," he coaxed, helping her forward, guiding her so that she was on her hands and knees before him. She moved to sit up, but he placed a hand on her back, gently restraining her. "Like this. Trust me, you'll like it."

She could only nod, feeling oddly exposed. She had had no problem with him above her as he had been during round one, nor cuddled into him as they ate, but now she was very aware of the fact that anyone might see her, naked out here in the jungle, wantonly on her hands and knees as the man behind her opened another condom and rolled it on.

It was mortifying, but also salacious. And damn, did it turn her on.

Then his hands were on her hips, sweeping up her back in reassurance, then back down again to hold her in place, nudging her knees a little wider apart so he could slide his arousal through her wet folds, teasing her entrance, making her arms shake with the effort of holding herself in place.

Then her mouth dropping open on a silent cry as he pushed into her from behind, filling her completely. In spite of her arousal and their earlier encounter, she was still shocked at his size, her muscles straining, clenching, a heady mix of pleasure and pain.

He gave her a moment to adjust to his intrusion, smoothing his hands over her skin again in comfort. She leaned forward on her forearms instinctively, and the angle helped a little.

"Everything okay?" he asked, his voice tight.

Alexis rocked forward and then back again, experimentally - and almost combusted on the spot at the feeling of his shaft sliding inside her, relieving the pressure she could already feel building, then replacing it on the return, stoking it higher, making her desperate for more. Behind her, she heard him hiss.

"Just dandy," she managed to croak, rocking forward once more. His hands returned to her hips and he pulled her back onto him, then held her steady as he started a gentle, steady rhythm.

It was indescribable. With every stroke, the tension within her built, coiled, soothing the want and yet creating an even stronger desire with every surge. He began to move faster, pumping into her, and she jerked her hips back to meet him with each stroke. One of his hands snaked down around her torso to grasp one of her breasts that had been swaying beneath her as she moved, and she undulated into him as he pinched her nipple.

Then he switched hands, placing the one back on her hip, and reaching around with the other, his strong arm banding around her as their bodies moved together, coasting down, down, and then his fingers were on her clit.

Her teeth sank into her forearm to muffle the scream.

There was so much sensation. The rhythmic pounding, filling her deeply, the thick digits firmly circling her clit, and no matter which direction she moved, forwards or backwards, it was always into one or the other.

His strokes were growing choppy, the fingers at her hip like a vice, bruising her as he drummed into her, and just when she wondered if she could take any more, her inner muscles began to flutter, and a moment later she was breaking apart, shattering. He hammered into her once, twice, three times more, and then he too was releasing into the condom inside of her, and she found herself all but collapsing face first into the bedding beneath them, his larger form following on top, rolling just enough to the side to make it possible for her to breathe.


	5. Chapter 5

By Alexis's calculations it was somewhere around 3 or 4 am by the time they dressed and lugged everything back to camp. Negotiating a clear path between the tents in the dark with arms full of bedding hadn't been her idea of fun, but the thank you she got from Josh as a reward for helping definitely made up for it. Truth be told, it nearly started another round, but when one of her gasps was interrupted by a yawn, they both knew it was time to call it a night. Sleep, unsurprisingly, claimed her quickly, and she felt as if her head had hardly hit the pillow when she was being woken by Pi, standing outside her tent and calling far too enthusiastically for her to join the others for breakfast.

They had an uneventful day out in the forest, but Professor Rankowski seemed anxious to get back earlier than usual, about lunch time, and the moment they were back at camp he headed straight for the one laptop they had with satellite internet access. Alexis joined the larger group around the fire - most were happy to have the chance to sit around and chat, although one or two were scribbling notes busily and catching up on their work, and two or three of the guys seemed to magically produce a hacky sack at every available opportunity.

Then suddenly Professor Rankowski was in their midst again, his face alight with enthusiasm. "Gather round, everyone! I have some exciting news!" It took a few minutes for everyone to appear, and one or two had to be ferreted out of their tents, but after a brief headcount to be sure everyone was there, Professor Rankowski continued, "I have just received confirmation from some colleagues in San Jose that Dr. Alejandro Fernandez, arguably the leading scientist on rain forest conservation here in Central America, will be giving a series of special lectures at the Universidad de Costa Rica in our final week here, and I have secured seats for us to attend. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I hope you are all as excited as I am. Unfortunately for our research projects, it means moving our schedule forward by about three days, as next week's location is far more pertinent than this village, lovely though it has been to spend time with the Doctors Without Borders team. Therefore as soon as you have finished eating, everyone needs to pack their belongings up and head to the trucks. We will be leaving by 2pm, giving you a little over an hour to go. I will explain to our translators and the village elders."

Alexis, who had already eaten most of her packed lunch, put the rest aside. She wasn't hungry anymore, although that might change once they were on their way and the shock had worn off.

They were leaving.

They were leaving, and she wouldn't get a chance to say goodbye to Josh.

She stood mechanically, the bustle and excited chatter around her seeming muted and distant somehow, and her gaze roved over to where she could see the makeshift hospital a few hundred yards away. She couldn't not say goodbye, she just couldn't.

Then she was running, racing as fast as she could, and she all but skidded to a stop in the entryway, her eyes roaming wildly.

No sign of Josh.

At all.

"Alexis?"

She turned to find Anna nearby. "J- Dr. Davidson. Is he here?" she asked, sure that she must both look and sound deranged.

"He's in surgery," Anna replied. "I can pass him a message though?"

To her shame, Alexis felt tears welling in her eyes, but she furiously pushed them back. "We're leaving. The scientists, that is. Professor Rankowski found out about some special lectures, and… we're going. In, like, an hour. And I didn't want to leave without…"

Anna put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Would you like to write him a note? I can pass it to him the moment he comes out. And I'll tell his next patient there will be a wait, so hopefully he can come see you off, but at the very least he will get your note, I promise. Here," she added, handing Alexis a clipboard and a pen and flipping over a form so that the blank back was showing.

She found herself staring at it blankly. What could she possibly say to sum up how much the last few nights - last night in particular - had meant to her?

But she had no time for anything other than a brief message, and she couldn't waste a moment by overthinking.

" _Josh,_

 _Professor Rankowski has moved our itinerary forward, and we're leaving today, around 2pm. I didn't want to go without saying goodbye. You will never know what a comfort you have been this week. I will never forget last night._

 _-Peaches._ "

Then, as an after thought, she scribbled her email address and her New York phone number on the bottom. If he messaged her before she was back in the US she wouldn't get it, and besides that she had no idea about one night stand etiquette - in spite of both her father's and her Gram's examples in that department - but she figured this way he at least had the option.

Folding up the page, she handed it to Anna.

"I'll see he gets it right away," Anna promised.

Impulsively, Alexis hugged her. "Thank you. And thank you for yesterday. I'm sorry I have to go before we could ever be friends."

Anna hugged her back, then released her. "I understand. You'd better go, though. You don't want to miss your ride."

Alexis fled. It took her very little time to pack her belongings - she was naturally orderly, and had done her best to keep her things inside her pack where possible - and as she packed up her tent, she glanced around, surprised to discover she was by no means straggling. A few were finished with their own gear and were helping the professors pack up the food supplies and their research equipment, but she was still ahead of most of the students.

She was just strapping her little tent to her pack and was about to lug it over to the truck when she heard her name being called.

Josh.

He was panting a little, as if he had been running, although his approach was at a studied stroll - like he was forcing himself to at least attempt to look casual and failing miserably.

"I got your note," he said.

"I didn't want to leave without…" she began, and he nodded.

Both of them glanced around, all too aware of the bustle around them, the lack of privacy, the curious stares.

"You said you were leaving at 2pm? What else do you need to do?" he asked quietly.

"My things are packed. I guess I should help the others load up, and make sure Pi has all his things…" she began.

He rolled his eyes at her last statement, and she giggled. "They won't miss you for a few minutes, then. Come on," he said, guiding her toward the treeline.

"Josh, what -" she began, but he hushed her.

"Try to look casual," he murmured, and she nodded.

As soon as they reached the edge of the forest at the end of the campsite furthest from the trucks being loaded, she felt him take her hand, his strides lengthening, his stature becoming more commanding somehow. She took a moment to admire the breadth of his shoulders, the strength of his arms.

The forest rose thickly around them, and it only took about twenty paces for them to be completely out of sight, if not completely out of earshot, hidden by the underbrush. Josh led her to one of the first forest giants, one with a solid, thick trunk and roots that twisted out of the base to almost waist height. Wasting no time, he spun her around so her back was against the solid trunk - she took a moment to be thankful that this species had relatively smooth bark - and then all conscious thought fled as his mouth descended on hers in a bruising, ravishing, desperate kiss which she found herself surrendering to completely.

His hands tangled in her hair, angling her mouth just so as his tongue demanded entrance, and she found herself scrambling for purchase at his shoulders so that she could just hold on as he plundered her mouth again and again. Then she rallied, nipping and teasing at his mouth, breaking away to run her lips along his jaw, down the stubble at his throat, running her hands over his broad chest and torso, doing everything she could to memorize the taste and feel of him.

They hadn't talked. She had no idea if she was ever going to see him again. She wasn't naive; she knew that what happened in the rain forest would probably stay in the rainforest, that this fling would never be revisited once they were back in civilization. There was too much baggage between them for this to ever work, for it to last. Their age difference, the vast gulf between their life stages, the awkwardness of negotiating his former relationship with her soon-to-be stepmother - so Alexis gave herself over completely to the moment, to the feeling of his body, so tall and broad and hard, pressing into hers, his mouth doing wicked things to her neck, and his hands-

She gasped as one large palm found the hem of her shirt and dove beneath, barely skimming her stomach on its way up to close over one of her breasts, his thumb deliberately grazing one of her nipples through her bra. She arched into him, heat pooling in her belly, and her hands slid down to his waistband.

"Alexis," he panted into her ear as she popped the button on his shorts.

"Do we have time?" she asked.

He lifted his head just enough for her to see his wry smile. "I probably won't last long, if that's what you're asking."

She bit her lip, looking up at him from under her eyelashes, and provocatively lowered the zipper of his fly. "Me neither," she replied.

Then it was a fumble of hands and teeth and mouths and clothes, and he had magically produced a condom from somewhere - the back of her mind registered that he was wearing the same pants as he had been wearing last night, so it kind of made sense that he had some there - and once it was on, he hitched her up so that one of her legs was around his waist, her back supported by the tree.

Then he paused, teasing the tip through her wet folds, up to her clit, back to her entrance, a maddening glide that had her moaning into his shoulder.

"Always so wet for me." He sounded smug, and she reached up blindly kiss the smirk off his face, whining as he made no further move to enter her, seeming content to continue his tease.

"Josh," she frowned as his name came out in a whine. She had been shooting for sexy and seductive. He laughed.

"Consent is sexy, remember, Peaches. I'm never going to go further than this with you without your express permission," he said as his mouth dipped to her collar bone, then moved to the swell of her breast. He had removed her shirt and shorts, but her bra was still on, and he sucked and nipped at first one breast, then the other, leaving a pair of matching marks.

Still he hadn't moved the tip of his length from her entrance, even as she felt her body weeping for him.

"Josh, please," she moaned, clawing at him.

"Please what?" he smirked, although she could see the strain around his eyes. His tease was getting to him, too.

She waited until he lifted his eyes to meet hers, and held his gaze, arching an eyebrow in a tease of her own. The knowledge that he was into this as much as she was was empowering.

"Please fuck me," she replied, and he groaned. She felt his cock twitch at her words, and then she was the one smirking - until he plunged into her. She was still a little tight and sore from the night before, and he was well endowed, so she couldn't help crying out as filled her completely, forcing her body to stretch to accommodate him.

"You okay?" he asked, and after a moment she felt herself adjust to his size and she nodded. He took a moment to guide her other leg up around his waist so her ankles could lock behind him, before pulling out and sliding back in again. This time she groaned, nodding, and then they found their rhythm, bodies moving together, and the perfection of how they fit, the love which he poured into her with his thrusts, made tears well in her eyes. This was the best sex of her life, and she would never get to do this with him again. She clung to him, trying somehow to get deeper, to crawl inside him as he moved within her, touching him everywhere. Her kisses became desperate and sloppy, and then he was cupping her cheek, kissing away her tears. He slid one hand down between them, his thumb finding her clit.

"Alexis," he gasped even as she felt her body tightening, "Peaches. Let go. Come for me one last time. I've got you," he whispered, using his other hand to grasp her thigh, pushing her legs apart even further, changing the angle of his thrusts so he pounding into her a little deeper, his thumb on her clit moving in time with his strokes. Her body constricted around his and she was arching, flying, crying as waves of pleasure crested over her. A moment later she felt him pulsing within her, groaning out his own orgasm.

He lowered her feet to the ground, making sure she was somewhat supported by the tree behind her before leaning bonelessly into her, both of them panting and simply holding each other closely.

He reached for her, tilting her face up so that he could kiss her, again and again and again.

From the far side of the campsite, a truck engine roared to life.

She clung to him.

"You need to go," he said, kissing her again before stepping back from her, handing her her shirt.

They dressed in silence, then linked hands as they walked back to the tree line.

"You got my number, right? You don't have to call or anything, but if you want to…" she began.

He turned to face her one last time. "I'll message you as soon as I'm back in New York," he promised.

She nodded, reaching up to press her lips to his for one last hot, hungry kiss, before turning and fleeing, grabbing her pack and scrambling in to the waiting truck just as it was about to pull away.

The last glimpse she got of him was as he stood at the tree line, watching the truck rumble out of sight.

How the hell was she going to explain this once she got home?

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N: I would like to thank everyone who took a chance on this story, especially those who weren't too sure but came in with an open mind. I knew this fic would be controversial when I wrote it, but some of you have gone above and beyond in your reviews and tweets, so please know that those of you who engaged in nuanced discussion and sweet encouragement - you're all my heroes and I appreciate every kind word. Thank you.**

 **Thanks again to Team Beta - Lindsey, Katherine, and Anja, (and Joan who was always loitering in the background) without whom this would never have been completed. You girls are amazing and I don't deserve you.**

 **Brain and I are still arguing about whether or not to write a sequel. No promises, but we shall see ;-)**

 **-Lou**


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